Maybe I'm out of the loop or something, but only today did I stumble across pro-ana and pro-mia websites -- for the uninitiated, web communities helping people become better anorexics and bulimics.

I was shocked by what I saw and read... these girls (I didn't see any by guys) and their obsessions with their weight, and the "thinspiration" pictures of skeletal models and actresses that these women aspired to look like. Dozens of jagged ribs and knobbly elbows. Advic...

It's getting chillier and hence harder to get out of bed in the mornings. This was made even worse yesterday when there was no hot water at my house! Thankfully Mum warned me before I actually subjected myself to the icy stream, but my morning routine seems incomplete without a shower. After some phone calls and a visit from the electric heater guy last night, the pipes at the Teegs residence are now running hot again. My cheery outlook and better groomedness today bears t...

The week has barely begun and already my radness is coming to the fore. Just then, one of the ad reps came in here (the room where we rocking journos work) asking whether anyone was afraid of spiders. There was a big huntsman spider in the kitchen and she was too scared to kill it. Now I don't like spiders, but I'm not frightened of them so I grabbed my trusty stiletto and ventured forth into the kitchen. There was the eight-legged beast up on the wall but a c...

Tuesday morning and I'm at work. Life is going amazingly at the moment. Isn't that crazy? I think sometimes it's much more acceptable to talk about the bad things that are happening with your life than the good things, because talking about the good things can come across like you're bragging. But bad things happen to everybody, so you can talk about them and people nod sympathetically and share about their own crappy life experiences and it's one big, beautiful sook-fest. Well st...

I feel like I'm working in a wind tunnel. There's a breeze whipping around my ankles and my ears are filled with the sound of rushing air. Yes, I'm in my office.

The reason for the windiness in my place of work today is because yesterday the office manager arrived to find the whole office area filled with water. Some creative vandals had stuck a fire hydrant hose under the door the night before and saturated the entire office. Apparently the water in the kitchen, where the seal on the door is...

Just me again, poking my virtual head in to demonstrate that no, I'm not dead or even seriously maimed in a way that might have affected my fingers to the point where I can't type. A brief run-down on where things stand today:

I have a stuffy head and runny nose, discomfort compounded by the fact I haven't had an early night in about the past 6 months (I plan to break the trend TONIGHT).

My grandma is in hospital with heart issues which is a bit scary (she's going t...

Today's one of those beautiful grey days -- brooding and a little dim but with only sporadic sprinklings of rain. Even though it's the kind of weather that begs to be enjoyed from beneath a blanket on the couch (hot chocolate and a good book optional), it's welcome by me even on a work day like today.

My day at work has been a pleasant one so far. This morning was an early start with a shorthand class -- second time and happily improving! Then I came here for a day of crafting stories, almos...

I've got a press card! I feel so genuinely journalistic!! I joined the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, functionally known as the journalism union, last week and my pack came in the mail today. Sure, there was the usual welcome letter and list of organisations which will give me discounted goods and services but the real prize was the card. Attractively hung from one of those trendy round-your-neck webbing straps, embellished with "alliance.org.au" is the blue and white ca...

That's right, a job! And not just any job, but a real-deal, fair dinkum, 110% full-time job as a journalist!!

*jumps around the room like a crazy person*

After weeks of waiting and praying, the newspaper where I did my work experience has confirmed not only do they want me working for them but they want me to start on Tuesday! Yesterday my editor (MY editor!) took me to the office where I will be working and showed me around the area...

I think sometimes tears, as well as headaches and sniffly noses, can be a good thing. They show you in embarrassingly obvious physical form what you've been suspecting for quite some time now: you're in need of a break.

I'm in need of a break.

Looking back and looking forward are two intensely tiring activities for me at the moment. Looking back I see months and months of study, assignments, exams, work, article writing and socialising, all fulfilling and fun. Looking forward I see month...

Well, nearly two weeks since I blogged but I'm here again now so who cares? Plenty has happened in the past fortnight, not the least of which being that I completed my internship at that exemplary publication, The Queensland Times. About twenty published articles (including three front pagers) later, I may seriously be soon to call the QT my new place of employment. We'll see, I should have more news (har har) on that front by Tuesday. For now, I'm just being patient and recoupe...

Two down, eight to go. Days that is, of my internship at the local daily newspaper. It's just tops at the moment, I'm really really enjoying it! Yesterday was my first day (though I'm sure you could have worked that out if you'd really thought about it) and although I had a fairly good day I wasn't feeling overly inspired about it. Retrospectively I think I have to put that down to tiredness. My life is crazy (but awesome... I've been having so much fun recently! Partly the reason I have...

hi. i probably won't send this, which is why i'm going to be really honest in my answers. first of all, i wondered if there was any particular reason for this email, whether you were worried about anything or if you yourself really wanted to answer these questions so you asked me first so i'd ask you back. either way i don't know how long i'm going to be on the computer so i'd better get on with the answering.

Forgive me for the Annie! quotes. But even such an offensively upbeat and cheesy musical as the one starring that gal with the gingery curls makes a good point sometimes.

In 12 hours I'll be rousing myself from the sweet warmth of my bed to make my way to my Applied Marketing Research exam. It's been a subject I've truly struggled with (and complained about on here numerous times) and an exam I can't say I'm looking forward to sitting, although I am looking forward to it being over. Yet here...

On Channel 10 news tonight there was a story about how lesbian mums were featured on Play School this week. Play School is a very popular tv show for little kids (about ages 3 to 7) in Australia. Part of the show are "real world" snippets, where you look through these "windows" into how different people live their lives. In a recent episode (I think it may have been as recent as this Monday just gone), the trip through the window showed two little girls and their two mums, laughing and playing t...